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Btw just a side question, I was wondering is the "の" in "140億の" necessary? Is it ok to remove it?
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PacerierMar 26 '12 at 4:23

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@Pacerier Removing the の doesn't seem right, since it would turn 神経細胞 into a counter word. But you're right, there's no counter word in the first place, so you could argue that it really should be 40億個の神経細胞. Omitting the counter feels acceptable in this case where the number is so big, though.
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dainichiMar 26 '12 at 4:43

@dainichi Btw when you use "個", were you referring to the "こ" counter or the general "つ" counter?
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PacerierMar 26 '12 at 13:09